I'm on my second fast, and just totted up my planned meals on MyFitnessPal. I'm totalling 650 (I'm a laydee so was aiming for 500), but when the system subtracts my planned exercise today my net is 285 cals.

Is this cheating?! Does exercise cancel it out? Or do I have to ditch tonight's steak

N.B I do want to lose half a stone, but I'm also doing this to improve IBS/brain function

I find saving all my calories for one meal makes that meal so much more satisfying. If you must have more than one meal, you need to try and make those other meals really low in calories if you want something like steak for dinner I'm afraid!

You need to average out your exercise over the week to find out if 500 kcal is more or less than your TDEE. So yes, exercise does count, but not as much as you had hoped.

Say you burn 365 kcal by exercising once a week, that's approximately 52 kcal a day you can add to the sedentary TDEE in your progress tracker, which gives you 13 kcal more for you to eat on your fast day.

I find it much easier to try to eat to my sedentary TDEE on feed days and aim for 500 kcal on fast days, and hope it all evens out.

Hi Katastrofee and welcome. There is no fail on this WOL but you'll just slow weight loss down! As MelanieCheeks says - exercise doesn't count on a fast day - so maybe cut that steak in half ! Good luck with 5:2

There is nothing wrong with the situation, just my attitude towards it!I don't eat Mondays or ThursdaysMy method: 5:2 Liquid only 16:8 on non-fast days

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